FLEET AUTOMATION
unprecedented level of insight and real-time control over their operations.
Komatsu Smart Quarry Autonomous, powered by Pronto, will be available to quarry operators through Komatsu’ s dealer network.
Kodiak add more auto trucks to Atlas Energy fleet
Kodiak Robotics Inc, a leading provider of AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology, in June announced the delivery of two additional driverless trucks to Atlas Energy Solutions Inc and the launch of up to 24 / 7 driverless service, stopping only for things such as maintenance and refueling. Atlas now owns and operates four trucks equipped with the Kodiak Driver, Kodiak’ s advanced AI-powered autonomous solution. The new Kodiak Driver-powered trucks entered service in late May.
The two new Kodiak Driver-powered trucks are part of a 100-truck order placed by Atlas as the company seeks to automate its supply chain. The driverless trucks pick up frac sand from Atlas’ s Dune Express, a 42- mile conveyor system that carries the sand from Atlas’ s mine closer to well sites. From there, the driverless trucks transport the sand to Atlas’ s customer well sites across in the Permian Basin, which spans parts of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico.
“ Our initial rollout of Kodiak Driverpowered driverless trucks represents a significant operational milestone in our autonomous strategy, creating a clear path to continue scaling our businesses together,” said John Turner, President and CEO, Atlas Energy Solutions.“ Kodiak’ s autonomous technology can meaningfully help us address challenges ranging from driver recruitment to demanding operating conditions. We plan to continue adding Kodiak Driver-powered trucks to our fleet helping to strengthen our long-term competitiveness.”
Since launching commercial operations with driverless trucks in December 2024, Atlas’ s Kodiak Driver-powered trucks have delivered over 800 loads and conducted over 1,600 hours of driverless service. In April, Kodiak announced that it had received a firm commitment from Atlas to order an initial total of 100 trucks, after Kodiak achieved certain key performance and operational milestones.
Kodiak offers its Kodiak Driver-powered trucks under a Driver as a Service model, where customers pay a per-mile or pervehicle licensing fee that covers driverless operations and ongoing system support, with its trucks delivering day and night in most weather conditions.
“ We continue to make rapid progress on the Kodiak Driver’ s core technology, enabling such critical features as night
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Atlas Energy now owns and operates four trucks equipped with the Kodiak Driver, Kodiak Robotics’ advanced AI-powered autonomous solution
driving,“ said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO of Kodiak.“ Our work with Atlas demonstrates the Kodiak Driver’ s ability to provide value to commercial trucking customers. We believe the driverless operational experience we’ re gaining in the Permian Basin will position us to more efficiently scale our driverless operations across domains, including on-highway.”
Michael Wiesinger, Chief Operating Officer, Kodiak Robotics additionally told IM:“ At Kodiak, we believe we’ ve developed a driverless technology platform that can scale across a wide range of commercial and industrial applications, including the challenging environments often found in mining. Our partnership with Atlas Energy Solutions, for which we operate driverlessly on industrial roads in the Permian Basin, has shown that our system can perform safely and reliably in rugged, real-world conditions. What differentiates us is our single, adaptable system that continuously learns from each environment where it operates. We see strong potential for applying our technology to smaller, more versatile vehicles, including the Class 8 semitrucks we operate today with Atlas Energy Solutions. We believe these applications could help meet some unmet needs for industrial customers.”
EACON surges ahead at altitude for Julong
EACON, a global leader in autonomous mining technology with over 1,800 autonomous mining trucks operating – around half the Chinese total, has successfully deployed its autonomous haulage system at Julong Copper Mine, a subsidiary of Zijin Mining and now home to the largest copper reserve in China.
Located in a high-altitude copper cluster in western China, Julong Copper Mine spans multiple deposits including Julong and Zhibula. As one of the world’ s top five copper deposits, it represents a cornerstone of China’ s critical mineral supply. Haul roads at Julong range from 4,000 to 5,400 m above sea level, where extreme cold, low oxygen, and rugged terrain pose severe challenges to both personnel and equipment. Recruiting and retaining drivers at this altitude has long been a bottleneck for operations.
To address these challenges, the mine operator initiated the adoption of autonomous haulage. EACON was recently awarded the contract, and in the first phase of deployment, its system has been successfully launched at the Julong site. Five 100 t wide-body autonomous dump trucks now operate alongside seven 200 t manned rigid dump trucks, sharing haul roads under live production conditions. The mixed fleet deployment has recorded zero safety incidents to date.
“ To introduce autonomous haul trucks at such altitude and under these conditions is a milestone for industry safety and productivity,” said the Mine Superintendent at Julong Copper Mine.“ It has removed the need for drivers to work in extreme environments, significantly enhancing safety while easing operational constraints.”
Building on this success, Phase Two of the project is now underway. EACON is retrofitting 240 t mining trucks and rolling out ORCASTRA ® CONDUCTOR, its intelligent fleet management system, to coordinate mixed brand and size of autonomy trucks across multiple mining zones.
Next, the company will extend its technology to the Zhibula Copper Mine, also operated by Julong. Here, 60 factory-fitted, battery-electric wide-body autonomous trucks will be deployed – a significant step forward in both electrification and autonomy. Due to narrower roads and a strong commitment to emissions reduction, Zhibula is set to become a flagship site for Zijin’ s sustainability goals and corporate responsibility initiatives.
This program highlights the strength of EACON’ s OEM-agnostic architecture,
International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2025